Mausam Shah on why PR today is about strategy, authenticity and knowing when to speak

MUMBAI: As the communications landscape continues to fragment across digital platforms, private communities, creators and traditional media, PR agencies are increasingly being challenged to rethink how they build narratives, manage crises and create long-term brand value.

Mausam Shah, Founder of Maars Communicates, a pan-India PR and Digital Marketing agency, shares her perspective on navigating niche online communities, setting realistic expectations around PR retainers, evaluating creator authenticity, responding to rapidly changing digital trends, securing earned media in an increasingly paywalled ecosystem and managing crises for early-stage brands.

Founded by sibling duo Mausam Shah and Aayush Shah, Maars Communicates works across Public Relations, Digital Marketing, Social Media, Influencer Marketing and Content Strategy, with expertise spanning Entertainment, Lifestyle, Corporate, Advertising & Marketing, Technology, AI and CSR.

On navigating micro-community dynamics

Every platform today has created its own ecosystem and has its own audience. From Reddit and Discord to WhatsApp communities and social platforms, conversations are increasingly becoming more niche and community-driven. However, I don’t think PR or traditional media can be ignored. There may have been a dry patch in the middle, but brands today understand that positioning, credibility and long-term brand building still happen through media platforms.

The approach, however, has evolved. Instead of forcing a traditional PR pitch into every community, we need to understand the culture of that particular space and identify where a brand can genuinely add value to the conversation. It is less about “seeding a story” and more about creating a story or point of view that people naturally want to discuss.

On redefining the “Retainer”

The value I truly follow as a PR professional is ethics, which means being transparent and setting the right expectations from day one. PR has never been a short-term game. It is a consistent effort towards creating visibility, credibility and, eventually, recall value.

During the first 90 days, we focus on establishing the brand narrative, understanding what is newsworthy about the business, identifying the right media ecosystem and creating consistent opportunities for visibility. I also make it very clear to clients that PR cannot guarantee virality.

If a brand is looking for overnight results or a shortcut to becoming a household name, we may actually suggest that PR is not the right vertical for them. But when a brand understands the process and is willing to build consistently, there are far fewer struggles. We believe in growing with the brand rather than simply delivering a monthly coverage number.

On Influencer fatigue & creator authenticity

Follower count and engagement are only the starting points. What really matters to us is a creator’s USP, the kind of content they create, their audience and the categories of brands they have historically associated with.

If a creator is promoting every possible category, there can eventually be a loss of authenticity. Audiences are intelligent and can immediately recognise when an association feels forced.

We therefore prefer creators who have a defined content universe or a few strong content buckets. When a creator has genuine exposure to a particular beat, they can bring their own perspective and add something to the brand conversation instead of simply delivering a script.

For us, the right creator is someone whose audience would believe that the brand naturally belongs in their world.

On the real cost of “Speed”

The internet has always worked this way, you make your place, and somebody else eventually comes along to occupy that space. Trends will come and go, sometimes within hours.

What is important is not necessarily chasing every trend, but knowing what message you want your audience or reader to take away. If the messaging is correct, clear and relevant, it can create recall even beyond the life of a particular trend.

For an agency, agility is important, but it should not come at the cost of strategy. We need to be quick enough to participate in relevant conversations while still asking whether that conversation actually contributes to the brand. Not every trend needs a brand response.

On earned media in a paywalled world

Every platform has its own business model, and they are completely entitled to build sustainable ways of running their publications. With the media landscape changing significantly, subscription and paywall models are one of the ways publications are creating sustainable revenue streams.

From a PR perspective, however, the fundamentals of earned media remain the same. If the client has genuine potential and the storyline is strong, editorial coverage can absolutely be secured.

The biggest mistake PR professionals can make is thinking only from the brand’s perspective. We have to think like the journalist and the reader: Why would someone want to read this story? What makes it relevant right now?

If we take the right story to the right media platform at the right time, journalists will want to feature it because it serves their audience. Good PR is not about convincing a publication to cover something; it is about finding the story that deserves to be covered.

On crisis control for early-stage brands

My first response is always to assess whether the issue genuinely requires a response or whether responding will simply give the controversy more oxygen. In the digital ecosystem, not every negative post or provocation needs an immediate reaction.

We recently applied this approach during a controversy involving one of the biggest film franchises, which featured three mainstream actors. One of the actors, along with the producer, was repeatedly making comments and taking digs at another actor, who is a legendary performer with an established reputation and body of work.

Our approach was very clear: do not respond to every dig. Instead of getting into a back-and-forth and allowing the controversy to become bigger, we chose to issue one clear statement, backed by facts, and then step away from the conversation. There was no need to react to every subsequent comment or provocation.

That approach worked because it prevented the narrative from becoming a prolonged media cycle. The statement put the facts on record, and there was no need for a comeback thereafter.

For me, crisis management is not always about responding faster or louder. Sometimes, the strongest response is knowing when to speak, what to say, and when to stop speaking.

On agency specialization vs. diversification

I don’t think the future is necessarily about choosing between specialization and diversification. It is about having a strong core competency while understanding the larger communication ecosystem.

PR itself has evolved significantly. Today, a brand’s reputation is influenced by earned media, digital platforms, creators, social conversations and community behaviour. So an agency cannot operate in a silo anymore.

At Maars Communicates, we believe PR and digital marketing need to work together, but that doesn’t mean an agency should try to become everything to everyone. Our core strength is strategic communications, storytelling and reputation building. We use digital, social and creator ecosystems as extensions of that core.

Ultimately, clients don’t need an agency that simply offers the longest list of services. They need a partner who understands what the brand needs to say, who needs to hear it, where the conversation needs to happen and how to build that narrative consistently. That strategic understanding will remain more valuable than simply offering every possible service under one roof.

In an industry increasingly shaped by speed, creators, communities and digital conversations, Shah believes the fundamentals of PR remain rooted in relevance, credibility and consistency. The platforms may continue to change, but the ability to identify a story worth telling, and tell it to the right audience — remains at the heart of effective communication.